Design for Alameda In-N-Out okayed

A Safeway gas station to be built near the Posey Tube will mimic its Art Deco design. Rendering courtesy of Catellus.

Monday’s Planning Board hearing on the design of new buildings that will house an In-N-Out Burger, Chase bank branch and Safeway gas station near the foot of the Webster Tube didn’t pack City Hall with residents who lined up to air concerns about crime and traffic the way an earlier discussion about drive-through lanes for the restaurant and bank branch did.

But while the cast of characters who participated in Monday’s discussion may have been smaller, the nearly two-hour conversation about the buildings’ design and other issues was wide-ranging.

The board signed off on a proposal that would see construction of a Safeway gas station designed in an Art Deco style that mimics the entrance to the Posey Tube, a classical brick building to house the bank branch and an In-N-Out designed in the style of old Spanish missions, with proposed tweaks to be worked out with planning staff. Board members said they thought the new plans featuring designs that are similar to some of the Island’s historic structures offered a big improvement over the more standard designs they originally saw.